Town election ballots shake out

Towns across the mountains will hold elections for their mayors and town board leaders this fall. Some town races are shaping up to be hotly contested, like Maggie Valley with a deep bench of challengers, while others like Dillsboro have no challengers at all.

In the Village of Forest Hills, no one signed up to run for mayor during the official filing period, prompting an extension of the candidate registration deadline through Friday to drum up takers.

• In Maggie Valley, three of the five seats are up for election. Two of the seats are held by Mike Matthews and Saralyn Price, who are both running for reelection, along with challengers Billy Case, Mike Eveland and Steve Hurley. The third seat is vacant, with still two years left in the term. Three candidates — Janet Banks, Joe Maniscalco and Charlie Meadows — are running for the empty seat.

• In Canton, all four seats on the town board plus mayor are up for election. Mayor Mike Ray is running unopposed. None of the current four aldermen are running for reelection. Candidates are: Carole Edwards, Ralph Hamlett, Gail Mull, Phillip Smathers, Zeb Smathers and Roy Taylor.

• In Sylva, two of the five town board seats plus mayor are up for election. Candidates for mayor include current town board member Christine Matheson and Jeremy Edmonds. For town board, incumbents Danny Allen and Barbara Hamilton will seek reelection against Mary Kelly Gelbaugh.

• In Dillsboro, all five town board seats are up plus the mayor. The sitting board members are all running for reelection and face no competition.

• In Webster, all five town board seats plus mayor are up for election. Current board member Jean Davenport is running for mayor. Incumbents Billie Bryson, Allan Grant and Tracy Rodes are running for reelection against challengers Janice Blanton, Nick Breedlove and Danell Moses.

• In the Village of Forest Hills, no one at all has signed up to run for mayor yet, so the filing deadline has been extended until noon Friday. Two of the five town board seats are up for election. Incumbents Clark Corwin and Carl Hooper will seek reelection uncontested, while Ron Mau will run for an open seat.

• In Franklin, four of six town board seats plus mayor are up for election. Current board members Sissy Pattillo and Bob Scott are vying for mayor, with the sitting mayor stepping down. Billy Mashburn is the only incumbent running for town board, leaving three wide open seats. Other candidates include: Patti Halyburton Abel, Mack Brogden, Emmanuel Carrion, W.H. Derrick, Marshall Henson, Adam Kimsey, Barbara McRae, Angela Hubbs Moore and Thomas Ritter.

• In Highlands, three of the six town board seats are up for election. Mayoral candidates are Brian Stiehler and Patrick Taylor. Both town board incumbents Gary Drake and Amy Patterson will run for reelection against Donnie Calloway and Michael David Rogers.